Some tickets to the World Cup events in San Jose have fallen to less than half their original price as the first match approaches in just a few weeks.
Ticket prices for next month’s FIFA World Cup matches at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara have dropped roughly 24% on the resale market over the past month as the tournament approaches, based on data from ticket tracking company TicketData, as NBC Bay Area reports.
According to KTVU, FIFA is still releasing additional tickets in phases for matches that haven’t sold out, including the six games scheduled in Santa Clara and select US National Team matches in Los Angeles and Seattle. The first Bay Area match is set for June 13 between Qatar and Switzerland.
Additionally, as SFist reported earlier this month, a report by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), which represents more than 32,000 properties and over 80% of hotel franchises, found that hotel reservations at all of FIFA’s host cities were much lower than anticipated.
According to the BBC, the AHLA is accusing FIFA of “manufacturing demand” by booking too many rooms in advance, which artificially drove up prices, keeping many fans from making reservations. The agency later reportedly cancelled up to 70% of the rooms it reserved at hotels in Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Seattle after many of them made considerable investments in anticipation of a tourist boom.
Fans in England told the BBC they’re traveling on budgets and plan to stay far away from the sporting venues. One fan said his group is budgeting $75 per person a night during their trip, and they’re looking to stay at a hotel or Airbnb that’s around 45 minutes to an hour’s commute.
The BBC notes that after the initial spike in hotel bookings after the official schedule was announced, they've been decreasing ever since. The AHLA said it was still optimistic that sales will pick up in June and July as fans finalize their plans.
On the other hand, Airbnb says it anticipates that the World Cup will be its biggest hosting event in the company’s history, ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris.
Related: Bay Area World Cup Schedule Announced, and Team USA Might Play One Game Here
Image: Brazilian sports fans watching match and celebrating at a bar (Getty Images)
